Some of the greatest games of all time never saw the light of day. Some were due to contracts expiring. Others took too long to get to market and missed their window. And others didn't have the mainstream popularity to warrant getting made. Following are the ten best games that never got made.



Freedom Fighters 2

To those who actually played it, Freedom Fighters was a refreshing masterpiece. With interesting art direction, simple yet effective squad commands, and a unique alternate reality story, it was the closest thing possible to a Red Dawn video game. A surge of Soviets on our home soil was the perfect evil force and a fictional timeline opened the door for more games as wonderful as the first. Unfortunately, Freedom Fighters wasn't the cash cow that it deserved to be, and though a sequel was discussed, never saw release.



NFL 2K6

Just as SEGA really put the heat on Madden, by releasing ESPN Football 2K5 for $20, the burner was quickly turned off. The series had grown to be beloved by many and to this day is often consider the best football game ever made, for its great gameplay, stunning visuals, and superb presentation. Unfortunately for both franchises, the NFL reached an exclusive rights deal with EA, which ended any hopes for the series to continue where it left off. This also left Madden without competition, resulting in several lackluster years for console football fans.



A timely Street Fighter 3

Street Fighter 2 was not only the perfect fighter, but it peaked at the right time, showing great success both in its arcade and various console forms. However, Capcom was unable to evolve the series during the height of its popularity, instead electing to tweak and re-release their game. We saw Turbo and Super editions, but not the sequel that all the fans were clamoring for. Down the line, Capcom created the critically acclaimed Alpha series, but it failed to capture the masses like SF2. By the time Three was eventually released, interest had dwindled.



REmake 2

Nintendo fans didn't have a chance to get their hands on Resident Evil until the original Playstation game was remade from the ground up for the Gamecube. The game was absolutely gorgeous and took the creepy atmosphere to a whole new level. The game became an instant favorite of both gamers and critics. Rather than continue on that success by similarly re-tooling Resident Evil 2, considered by many to be the best in the series, Gamecube owners got an unimpressive straight port.



A third person Metroid

The N64 breathed new life into Nintendo's big franchises. Zelda, Mario, and Donkey Kong were all brought to life in impressive 3D environments, and were all well received. However, for unknown reasons, Samus sat that generation out. Considering Metroid's platform jumping roots, a third person iteration of the series would have been a perfect direction. Since the N64 wasn't exactly seeing a flood of software, it's baffling that this opportunity was never taken.



A RARE developed Tomorrow Never Dies

When I watched James Bond in his first film after Goldeneye, I was watching for video game tie-in opportunities more than for the film itself. RARE had done what almost no other developers have done since - created a fantastic movie game. It seemed perfect for them to continue by making the next Bond movie, but it wasn't to be. They decided not to renew the 007 rights contract, and EA took over with Tomorrow Never Dies, which was easily forgettable. RARE instead went on to make Perfect Dark, a great game in its own right, but not what Bond fans were looking for.



A third generation of Punch Out!!

Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! was revolutionary for its time, and despite having a bit of aging trial and error gameplay still holds up fairly well today. It's sequel, Super Punch Out, evolved the series, yet still remained faithful to its wacky roots and charismatic characters. And then it disappeared, for no apparent reason. Three Nintendo consoles later, not to mention a few handhelds, for which the art direction would be perfect, there's been nothing. A 3rd party game, Wade Hixton's Counter Punch for the GBA came close, but didn't quite grasp the polish of the real thing. Considering the success of both the Wii and DS, this game may still have some hope of release.



Jackal 2

Perhaps one of the most underappreciated games ever, Jackal, for the original NES provided a simple, yet extremely fun cooperative experience. You and a friend controlled Army jeeps and had to work together to battle an onslaught of tanks, guns, planes, and ships. While similar army co-op games, like Contra and Ikari Warriors, saw sequels that took advantage of evolving technology, Jackal slipped into obscurity and hasn't been heard from since.



An AKI/THQ collaboration for the WWE, post-WCW merger

While not so critically acclaimed, the series of games that started with WCW/NWO World Tour and ended with WWF No Mercy truly captured the essence of professional wrestling and was adored by fans. In one console generation, the series grew leaps and bounds, and was customizable to a point that should be envied by even the latest and greatest games today. When the WWF and WCW merged, the opportunity for a giant roster of both hot new talent and legendary favorites opened up, with the chance for more personality than ever before. Unfortunately, AKI and THQ were not to work together again. Instead, Yukes and Acclaim took the reigns to the popular license and ran it into the ground.



A proper Starfox 64 sequel

A sequel was made, but by comparison StarFox Adventures was terrible. What started as a colorful dogfighting and rail shooting game became a series of fetch quests. By building off of their already successful formula with more advanced hardware, thoughts arise for what could've been, like cooperative missions, complex dogfights, more charming characters, and large, free-roaming environments. Starfox eventually returned to its roots, with Starfox Assault, but Nintendo didn't handle developer duties in house and the result just wasn't the same.

Epic Games has recently given a second dose of free content to its fans. "Annex", a new king-of-the-hill style multiplayer game-mode, came out alongside a few bug fixes for the XBOX 360's runaway hit Gears of War.

Annex is a little different than the previously available game modes Assasination, Execution, and Warzone, mostly in that you are constantly respawning after death. Also, the goal is not to kill your opponents, but to hold various control points on the map. While I'm not traditionally a fan of re-spawn, and prefer the consequence of a "one life, one death" game, I always welcome more choices, especially when they're free. However, I believe that Annex brings a few new problems that were not issues prior to its arrival.

Quitting / Disconnects
Quitters or dropped connections have always been a problem in multiplayer games, and Gears is no different. In the three original multiplayer modes, though, having a quitter on your team is not an insurmountable obstacle. If you stick together and get the first kill, you're right back in it, 3 on 3. Such is not the case in Annex, however. You may be shorthanded and get a kill early, but in a few seconds, your enemy is going to respawn and you're going to be down again. Winning while down a man in Gears of War was unlikely before, but at least you could put up a fight. Now, it's pretty much a slaughter.

Time
Annex is time-based, unlike the other modes, which end based on the death of a team's players. If you are shorthanded or simply outmatched in Assasination, Execution, or Warzone, you simply suck it up, as the battle will end quickly. You can only elongate it by winning. In Annex, while your performance is somewhat tied to the time it takes to play a game, it doesn't significantly change the length. When you're down a man and getting trounced, you have to sit through long stretches and take it. But people don't. It is likely that your team-mates will quit. (see the first point above) These problems lend to each other.

Discouraging Weapon Use
Gears online was already a shotgun fest for many players. But the fact that your life was so precious, since you only had one, encouraged players to seek out special weapons on the map. Annex discourages weapon use. Time is the only factor. You don't really have much time to go get weapons anyway, and since your goal is not to kill, but to take position, most battles are close range, appropriate for shotguns. Strategically setting up your men to slowly move across the battle field isn't a viable strategy in Annex, as it takes too much time. Your only option is run-and-gun, the very thing that Gears pledged not to be.

So, don't play it, right?

I'm not whining.  I don't hate Annex. It's somewhat enjoyable, though usually frustrating for me. Perhaps I just need to get better and enjoy those times when I'm not on the shorthanded team. And, at the very least, the price is right.

Analysts and gamers alike are analyzing trends and crunching the numbers, trying to figure out who will win the console war. But short-sidedness and blind fanboyism are taking the focus away from what really matters: lasting through the fight. The console war as we know it consists of three important stages, from launch until production stops. Winning at any one stage does not necessarily translate to success at the end of the generation, but rather making a steady showing throughout is what will result in long-term gain.

Stage 1: The First Strike
The first battle in the war will likely span the first year and a half of a console's life. It covers the system's launch, through the holiday season just over a year later. Success in this earliest of stages comes from setting the wheels of hype in motion, rallying your fan base, establishing a perceived value in your product for its price, and managing your supply lines. It's important for a new system to get a working install base right out of the gate, in order to keep third party interests peaked and nab exclusives.

In the Best Position: Wii
Most at Risk: PS3

The PS3 definitely stumbled at the starting line, with the public eye falling more being on Ebay scalpers than to the quality of the product. Delays, shortages, and a high price tag kept the PS3 from truly taking advantage of its first holiday season on the market. Meanwhile, the XBOX 360 was all alone for the first year, managing to sell nearly 10 million units worldwide and the Wii caught the market by storm and sold like hotcakes, boasting a steady supply stream and reasonable price, grabbing up sales from early adopters, Nintendo faithful, and holiday shoppers that couldn't find a PS3. After the hype has died down, more than three months later, PS3s line store shelves, while Wiis are still being bought up as they are stocked. The 360 has survived this first challenge and the Wii is in great shape to have a respectable install base by the time next holiday season passes. The PS3 is lagging behind now, but still has plenty of time to catch up in preparation for the next battle in the console war.

Stage 2: The Big Guns
After the dust has settled from the consoles' launches, each of three companies will need to put out a steady stream of must-have games for the next several years. This not only includes first party system-sellers, but third party time-exclusives, as well. The PS2 did a great job securing the rights to the Metal Gear and Grand Theft Auto franchises. Although they eventually came to the competition, by then, they'd already helped sell many a Playstation 2. The opposite can be said for Nintendo's Gamecube, which despite having many quality titles, went through long game droughts and ultimately crippled the system's sales.

In the Best Position: XBOX 360
Most at Risk: Wii

With many of Sony's exclusive partnerships being lost this generation, Microsoft is in great shape to steal market share, with their heavy hitting exclusives, namely Halo 3. Also, we're seeing the 360 grab third party exclusives like Dead Rising and Mass Effect, and if they are able to keep them for the inevitable sequels, it will put them in a great spot. Meanwhile, the Wii has fantastic first party titles on the horizon, as well. However, the big concern for Nintendo comes from hardware limitations. The Wii is so drastically different from the competition in terms of both control and power, that they may see a drop of in third party support, if developing ports to the system is not deemed as cost effective. Additionally, as the PS3 and 360 better take advantage of their systems' graphical prowess and HD capabilities, the Wii may look outdated rather quickly. Nintendo has made us focus on the gameplay thus far, but can they make it last for years to come?

Stage 3: The Final Stretch
There is a whole mew market of gamers that will open up once consoles start issuing price drops, bundles, and value-priced greatest hits collections. These include casual gamers, impulse buyers, and those looking to pick up a second or even third system to catch up on games that they'd missed over the last several years. By this time in the console war, it is likely that production costs will have dropped and it will be a good opportunity for companies to recoup some of the losses they might've incurred on hardware to that point. It also sets up important brand loyalty for the next console war, should there be one.

In the Best Position: PS3
Most at Risk: XBOX 360

Ultimately, if there is market leader at the time, well ahead of its competition, it will have the best chance of securing this last leg of the race. With that a great unknown at this point, it is important to look at the possibility of price drops to take the common gamer. The PS3 is a hefty $600 right now, but with Blu-Ray still brand spanking new, it's an expensive item to produce. As Blu-Ray becomes more established, the cost of the technology will plummet, giving the PS3 lots of wiggle room to come down. Should Blu-Ray become an HD standard, the PS3 will be all the more enticing later in its life, as Joe Six-Pack looks to leave his standard DVD player behind. And while the PS3 and 360 are losing money with each console they sell, the Wii is already turning a profit, which means that there is room for a price drop whenever the need should arise. Left over is the XBOX 360, which will eventually deliver a price drop, but may be less likely to do so, with each console sale already putting them in the red, and a less likely scenario to cut costs as dramatically as their competitors.

It is impossible to tell who will win the console war looking at current sales. Only after all three systems have had a chance to settle into the market, release their AAA titles, and begin slashing prices at the register, can there be declared a winner. The winner or winners will be those that can successfully manage to be competitive during each of these three important phases. And if Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo can all accomplish this, the real winners of the console war will be the gamers.